Nick Hammond has joined Everton to lead the club’s recruitment this summer, reuniting with Angus Kinnear after previously working together at Leeds United.
Hammond arrives with a wealth of experience, which includes spells at West Brom, Celtic, Newcastle and Leeds. Though modern recruitment is often shared between extensive teams, Hammond has had a key role in some impressive transfer business. Ahead of his first summer with Everton, we’ve looked at some of his success stories.
Jeremie Frimpong – Manchester City to Celtic (£250,000)
Hammond first joined Celtic in a recruitment consultancy role in 2019, before being appointed as head of football operations later that year. One of the first hits of his first summer in Scotland was the £250,000 arrival of Jeremie Frimpong from Manchester City.
The teenager moved north of the border having never made a first-team appearance at the Etihad, but was an instant hit. Frimpong’s first season ended in a domestic treble, before interest from Europe emerged. After 18 months, he was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for an £11.5m fee, banking a healthy profit.
Kyogo Furuhashi – Vissel Kobe to Celtic (£4.5m)
A transfer perhaps pushed by Ange Postecoglou given his experience of the Japanese market but a success nonetheless. The 26-year-old had never played outside his homeland before a £4.5m move to Celtic in 2021.
He hit the ground running in Scotland, scoring 20 goals in his debut season. The following campaign, the Japan forward netted 34 times to win the league’s Golden Boot and Player of the Year award. Furuhashi scored 85 goals in 165 games for Celtic before being sold to Rennes for £10m in January 2025.
Bruno Guimaraes – Lyon to Newcastle United (£35m)
Newcastle’s new-found wealth needed the right people to lead the recruitment and Hammond joined the Magpies in December 2021. That January, the struggling side splashed the cash in a bid to stay up with Bruno Guimaraes the marquee recruit. Several sides in England had looked at the Brazilian, but Newcastle were rewarded after pulling the trigger. Guimaraes has been one of the Premier League’s most influential players at St James’ Park and captained the side to League Cup success last season. He’s arguably now worth three-fold the initial investment.
Dan Burn – Brighton to Newcastle United (£12m)
Some questioned the decision to spend £12m on Dan Burn in January 2022. The North-East native had been a solid if unspectacular Premier League performer, but addressed an area of weakness at Newcastle.
Burn helped Newcastle stay up in 2022-23, before the Magpies secured Champions League qualification the following year with the Premier League’s best defensive record.
A fixture in the side, Burn has produced the best football of his career at his boyhood club. In 2025, he scored in the club’s drought-breaking League Cup success and made his England debut.
Ao Tanaka – Fortuna Dusseldorf to Leeds (£2.95m)
Hammond was tasked with getting Leeds United back into the Premier League in 2023. After falling just short in year one, Leeds lost key figures in Georgino Rutter, Archie Gray, and Crysencio Summerville, with a rebuild required.
Ao Tanaka was an astute addition, joining from German second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf for just £2.95m. A key part of their Championship-winning season last term, the Japan midfielder was named Leeds’ Players’ Player of the Season.